My wife and I are renovating our home and had an Ash floor laid, sanded and finished. The wood came into the house the last week of June 2011 and was installed sanded the end of July. The floor finishing was completed in late September.

This last week our normal pest company found 3 places where what was determined to be the Lyctid Beetle had bored out of the floor. Upon inspection there are places where when the floor was sanded it exposed the long boring track of the beetle that were finished over (I really don't have a problem with the defect being there as it adds some character).
The pest companies opinion is that the beetles were in the wood when it came into the house.

I have since called 2 other pest companies one of which brought their Entomologist to look at the floor. I now have 3 opinions that it is the Lyctid Beetle and that they were in the flooring when it arrived at our home.

I have contacted the company that I contracted to install and finish the floor and was told they nor their suppliers have any responsibily for the problem.

I am looking at a $9,000-13,000 cost to have the house tented and fumigated.

What are your opinions. Do you think the flooring company has a responsiblity for this problem? How would you proceed?

Thanks, Brad

The manufacturer is absolutely responsible for the problem. I have no idea why the retailer would be brushing you off. It sounds like they may have been aware of the problem at installation? Now they have no recoarse?

are alll the pest guys saying fuming is the only way? Ive seen it approached a little differently in the past. Id have the finishers come out and sand off the finish have it treated with bora care then reseal the floor. When I have seen it in the past the beatles only like sapwood due to the sugar content. take any affected boards out prior to the refinishing/treatment and you should have the situation under control.
Proper kiln drying is suppose to kill all stages of pp beetle life cycle. typically ppb infestation happens during storage.

The flooring contractor told me he has been in the flooring business for 22 years and he has never heard of beetles in wood.
His supplier even said he had never heard of this. That sounded like he was back peddling (lying) from the get go.

Every one I have spoken with said the only way to treat them is the same as termites except you use 10 times as much gas to get deep into the finished wood.

Thanks for your input.

Brad

Ive been in the business now for close to 20 years myself and have seen it twice. The first time there were about 8-9 boards that were effected. We paid to have the boards removed and replaced then just monitored for more frass, none to date, end of that one. The second time same deal, we pulled the 10- 15 boards then sanded down the entire floor, treated with bora care then then resealed the floor, no more problems. Sounds like you are getting the sky is falling sales pitch imho. A few exit holes is not an infestation. tenting and fuming is serious overkill for something isolated to a few planks.

Brad,

Find below some good links/reading about LPB.

( www.bugspray.com/powderpost_beetles.html ) ( www.livingwithbugs.com/damage_tb.html )

Johannes.

if you are not seeing any fresh bore holes or daanage where you obviously can say hey" that wasn't there"...then you may have no problem at all.

grading,worm holes,bore holes etc)typically in lesser grading..may have been there all along..doesn't mean you have anything there now.

as for installer /distributor being unaware of his, tells me,they do not know the biz, or they are full of it.

Thanks for all of the information and opinions shared.

I found 2 more holes where beetles have bored out yesterday.

My flooring contractor has contacted someone from a or the Hardwood Flooring Association to come and look at the floor. His supplier is supposedly coming to look at the floor also but no progress yet.